If your [sic] serious about your startup or investing in startups, you don’t have time for trivial networking events. They’re a waste of your time. But, hey, you gotta eat. Every month, Startup Haven buys dinner and drinks for hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. That’s right… all you can eat and drink all for free. Why do we do it? Because it works. When you bring great people together (i.e. serious entrepreneurs and investors), feed them and put a beverage in their hands remarkable things happen.

As dinner wraps up, everyone in the room gets the opportunity to make a very brief announcement and/or make an ask or make an offer. It’s a rare thing to be in a room full of high quality founders and investors and have the chance to get the word out about what you’re working on, what you’re looking for, or (our favorite) what you can do to help others.

And what about the poker? Well, that’s after dinner:

Startup Poker 2.0 is the flagship event of Startup Haven, a community-driven organization dedicated to connecting tech entrepreneurs with information, opportunities and each other.

The format of Startup Poker 2.0 is a monthly Founders Dinner and fun, low-stakes poker tournament. The event supports the startup community by bringing them together in a relaxed and fun atmosphere where the free flow of ideas, beer and trash talk are encouraged. Participants include founders and execs from more than 900 startup and early stage tech companies in Seattle, Portland, San Diego and San Francisco, with Los Angeles under development.

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Published by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy
View all posts by Rick Turoczy

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